2002 World SuperBike Championship - Round 13 - Imola

A strong performance by Hitoyasu Izutsu in the final race of the World Superbike Championship in Italy gave the Japanese star some reward for his season’s efforts. After finishing race one in fifteenth place, the former Japanese Superbike Champion brought his Fuchs Kawasaki ZX-7RR home in tenth position in race two, to score his first top ten finish since fracturing his wrist at Sugo back in April.

'Tenth is a good result for me and I am very happy,' said Izutsu. 'On the last lap I had a chance to pass Bostrom, but I made a small mistake and it was not possible. My wrist is much improved and less painful now, but as the race went on it was becoming more difficult to ride. Having said that, my bike is good and my team have worked hard, so it has been possible for me to finish the year with an improved result.'

Chris Walker was once again trying as hard as ever; with a true ‘Stalker’ start in race one elevating him from 11th place on the grid to a brilliant sixth position at the first turn. After dicing with the factory Ducati’s of Bostrom and Toseland, Walker was eventually forced to drop back as a result of a deteriorating rear tyre on his Fuchs Kawasaki ZX-7RR. The 30-year-old Briton held on to take 11th place at the line.

'I got a brilliant start, one of the best this season,' said Walker. 'But then the left hand side of my tyre overheated and fell apart. At the start it was okay, but it was just spinning and pushing sideways as the race went on. We have another tyre that we can use, and that will definitely be going on the bike for race two.'

A late braking manoeuvre that went slightly awry in the opening stages of race two meant that Walker was forced to fight his way back through the field from 24th place at the end of the third lap. With his head well and truly behind the bubble, the Fuchs Kawasaki rider managed to claw his way back up to 12th place at the chequered flag, to confirm his position as the top four-cylinder rider in the 2002 World Superbike Championship standings.

'I missed my braking marker into the last chicane and arrived there way too fast,' explained Walker. 'I thought about trying to tip it in, but there were two riders in front of me, so I had to sit it up and go straight on. I knew it would take a long time to turn around and re-join, so I decided to go straight down pit lane instead. Once I got back on track I made pretty rapid progress through the field, and I really enjoyed it. This is my last ride for the team and, although I’m looking forward to next year, I'm sad to be leaving the Fuchs Kawasaki squad, after what has been a hard but enjoyable year.'